Coffee roaster attachments for home rotisserie oven appliance

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a coffee bean roster attachment for conventional home rotisserie ovens. The invention features a roasting tube made of mesh or thin-walled perforated metal and a variety of different components to adapt the roasting tube to the rotisserie apparatus supplied with the conventional home rotisserie oven.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/201,827 filed May 3, 2000 entitled Coffee roaster attachments for home rotisserie oven appliance.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to attachments for home appliances and, in the preferred embodiments, to home rotisserie oven attachments for roasting coffee.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention, in its preferred embodiments, provides a coffee roaster attachment for a home rotisserie oven. In one preferred embodiment, the roaster is a cylindrical stainless steel mesh container enclosed at one end by a gear wheel. Green coffee beans are poured into this cylinder and the open end is closed by a second gear wheel. The roaster is then advantageously placed into a conventional home rotisserie oven appliance with one of the gear wheels meshed with a motor-driven gear within the oven proper. The oven is then turned on causing rotation of the coffee beans in the container proximate to the oven's electrical heating element.

[0004] One of the many features of the preferred embodiments of the invention is that the coffee roaster advantageously incorporates the gear driven assembly normally supplied with a home rotisserie oven, thereby both substantially lowering the cost of the unit to the ultimate consumer and simplifying assembly and disassembly of the coffee roaster.

[0005] The gourmet coffee industry has been one of the fastest growing segments of the food processing business in the last few years. The present invention brings to consumers the ability to roast coffee in their homes in an efficient and economical way. The preferred embodiments of this invention enable gourmet coffee drinkers to cut their costs by as much as 50% and have even fresher coffee. For those who buy canned coffee, they now can, for mere pennies more than they are currently paying, enjoy gourmet coffee.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a front view of a home rotisserie oven.

[0007]FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of a home rotisserie oven and a portion of a gear-driven rotisserie assembly illustrating the connection between the driving mechanism and the rotisserie assembly.

[0008]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a gear-driven rotisserie assembly

[0009]FIG. 4 is front view of one embodiment of a coffee roaster attachment installed in the home rotisserie oven shown in FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 5 is a perspective partially exploded view of a coffee roaster attachment and a gear-driven rotisserie assembly.

[0011]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the components of an embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment.

[0012]FIG. 7 is an elevational view of one end of the coffee roaster tube.

[0013]FIG. 8 is an elevational view of the opposite end of the coffee roaster tube.

[0014]FIG. 9a is a close-up, cut-away view of one of the retainer clips just prior to engagement with the rod member of the gear driven rotisserie assembly.

[0015]FIG. 9b is a close-up, cut-away view of the clip after engagement by the rod member.

[0016]FIGS. 10a and 10 b illustrate the manner in which another of the retainer clips engages the rod member as the coffee roaster tube is moved into position.

[0017]FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the assembly of the coffee roaster attachment.

[0018]FIG. 12a is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention.

[0019]FIG. 12b is a front view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention.

[0020]FIG. 12c is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention.

[0021]FIG. 13 illustrates a component of an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention.

[0022]FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention.

[0023] FIGS. 15 is an enlarged view of the alternative embodiment of the retainer clips for constructing the coffee roaster attachment of this invention illustrating how the retainer clip attaches the roaster shell to the gear wheel of the gear-driven rotisserie assembly.

[0024]FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment installed in an alternate rotisserie apparatus.

[0025]FIG. 17 illustrates a front elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 16.

[0026]FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view of the alternate embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17.

[0027]FIG. 19 is a front elevational view of a heat shield attachment for use with the coffee roaster.

[0028]FIG. 20 is a side elevational schematic view of the heat shield attachment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] The following description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0030] The Home Appliance Oven

[0031] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional home appliance oven 15 is shown having an electrical heating unit 20 and a gear wheel 25 within the oven. Gear 25 is driven by an electrical motor (not shown).

[0032] Gear 25 is adapted to continuously rotate a gear driven rotisserie assembly 26 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Rotisserie assembly 26 includes a pair of spaced gear wheels 30 and 31 adapted to rotate on stub axles 32 in open bearing surfaces 35 and 36 formed on juxtaposed inside oven walls 40 and 41, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Gear wheels 30 and 31 are joined by a pair of rods 50 and 51. The opposite end of rods 50 and 51 are reduced in diameter (a reduced end of each is shown in FIGS. 3 and 5). Each of the gear wheels 30 and 31 include a pair of female receptacles, integrally attached to the wheels, that receive these reduced diameter rod ends. Set screws (not shown) in the female receptacles of gear wheel 31 removably attach the ends of rods 50 and 51 to this gear wheel. Rods 50 and 51 are conventionally used to hold meat that is being cooked in the rotisserie oven.

[0033] By way of specific example, one type of suitable rotisserie oven is the “Showtime TM Rotisserie BBQ” rotisserie oven offered for sale by Ronco. Additional information about this oven is available at the Ronco web site (www.ronco.com).

[0034] One Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment

[0035] Referring to FIG. 5, the components of the coffee roaster include cross bars 10 and 12, retainer spring 14, stir blades 16, and cylindrical tube 70, which provides the container wherein the green coffee beans are roasted. Tube 70 is advantageously made of either wire mesh, thin-walled metal, or a combination of both.

[0036] The manner of assembling and using the coffee roaster attachment is as follows: Rods 50 and 51 are threaded through appropriately spaced and sized holes in cross bars 10 and 12 allowing one end of cylindrical tube 70 to seat against gear 31. One end of spring 14 is then threaded onto the end of one of the rods 50 or 51. The spring is then stretched so that the other end of spring 14 may be threaded onto the other rod 50 or 51 and seated against cross bar 12. The spring 14 remains under tension in the assembled roaster attachment. That tension prevents spring 14 from slipping with respect to rods 50 and 51 thus holding cylindrical tube 70 in place against gear 31 until the spring is removed and the coffee roaster attachment is disassembled.

[0037] At this stage of assembly, the green coffee beans are loaded into the interior of cylindrical tube 70. Gear 30 is then seated against the end of cylindrical tube 70 by inserting the reduced-diameter ends of rods 50 and 51 into the female receptacles of gear 30 thus completely enclosing the green coffee beans within cylindrical tube 70.

[0038] Once the green beans have been placed in the roaster tube and closed off by gear wheel 30, the completed unit is installed into the home appliance oven described above with one of the gear wheels 30 or 31 engaging gear 25. The installed roaster in the oven is shown in FIG. 4. At this stage, the user sets the timer on the oven unit for the desired roasting time, which will vary depending on the amount of green beans being roasted. The user then starts the oven unit, which will cause the heating elements 20 to begin to heat up and the rotation of the rotisserie gear drive assembly with the roaster appliance attached, thereby starting the roasting process.

[0039] To remove the roasted coffee beans, one merely removes the gear-driven rotisserie assembly 26 with its attached coffee roaster, takes off gear wheel 30 by sliding it off of the ends of rods 50 and 51 and pours out the roasted coffee beans out. As described above, spring 14 prevents the tube 70 from separating from the base gear drive 31 and thus prevent the beans from spilling all over.

[0040] A Second Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment

[0041] An alternative embodiment of the coffee roaster attachment is depicted in FIGS. 6 and 11. The components of this embodiment include retainer clips 60, 61 and 62, stir blades 65, and cylindrical tube 70, which provides the container wherein the green coffee beans are roasted. Tube 70 is advantageously made of either wire mesh, thin-walled metal, or a combination of both.

[0042] The manner of constructing the coffee roaster attachment is as follows: starting with FIG. 7, the clips are positioned on one end of the tube 70. Clips 60 are placed in two positions approximately 180° apart on the end of the tube and act not only as guides, but as stabilizers, to prevent the tube 70 from improper rotation. Clips 62 are attached approximately 90° apart from clips 60, as holders to secure the stir blades 65 to the base of the tube 70. Note that the stir blades 65 have extending tips 66 at opposite ends which fit into the rectangular opening 67 in each clip 62.

[0043] Next refer to FIG. 8, which shows the opposite end of tube 70 and placement of the clips 61, 62 on this end of the tube 70. Before installing clips 62, the extended tips 66 of each stir blade 65 are inserted into slotted cut-outs 67 of clips 62 to secure the stir blade 65 in place.

[0044] The next step of construction of the coffee roaster is to add the final set of clips 61 into place. These clips allow for tension/pinch action against the respective rods 50 and 51 shown in FIGS. 9a, 9 b and 11. Clips 61 not only act as a stabilizer for the roaster tube 70 but also positively secure the tube 70 to one of the gear wheels. A close-up of the actual installation of the coffee roaster unit, once all of the clips have been put into place, can be viewed in FIG. 11. FIGS. 10a and 10 b show how clips 60 slide down the body of rods 50 and 51 arriving at the end to form a closure of the tube 70 on the base of gear wheel 31. FIGS. 9a and 9 b illustrates that once the tube 70 has been lowered onto the base of gear wheel 31, rods 50 and 51 slide through a hole in the base of clips 61. Once rods 50 and 51 start up through the openings in clips 61, they will press against the flanged portion of clip 61 pushing it slightly out in a toggle fashion, wherein enough tension is created that the flanged portion of clips 61 press up against the rods causing the roaster tube 70 to be held in position (until the tension is purposely relieved for dismantling the tube from gear wheel 31). The tension created by this toggle like action is sufficient to hold tube 70 to the gear drive wheel 31 in place with no slippage even when one pours the roasted beans out of the cylindrical tube. Thus, rods 50 and 51 force out the tension/pinch part of clip 61 to form a tension to secure the tube 70 to the gear driven rotisserie assembly 26.

[0045] A feature of this embodiment of the invention is that once the clips are installed on the unit, the installation of the unit takes mere seconds; additionally, by the very design of the clips, to dismantle and remove the coffee roaster attachment one need only, by using the thumb and forefinger, relieve tension by pressing simultaneously outward on the ears of clips 61, and the tube 70 will slide right off

[0046]FIG. 11 further illustrates the final assembly of the coffee roaster attachment.

[0047] To fill the body of the tube with green coffee beans, prior to putting the top gear wheel 30 on (see FIG. 11), there is a large opening in the top of the nearly assembled unit. By merely pouring the green coffee beans into the body of the unit, one need only then place gear wheel 30 onto the unit, wherein gear wheel 30 acts as the final closure, preventing the green coffee beans from falling out.

[0048] A Third Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment

[0049] Another option for securing a tube of a larger diameter than the tube described in the second embodiment of the invention, can be done with another set of clips/fasteners clips 100 and 105 (see FIGS. 12a-15). Again, one takes advantage of the existing hardware such as is provided by Ronco, specifically the gear drive wheels 30 and 31 which both have eight holes in them. First, wire clip 105 is slid through the opening 106 in clip 100, so that the hooped portion of clip 105 protrudes out the bottom of clip 100, as shown in FIG. 14. At this point, the tube 70 is placed on top of gear drive 31. Now one takes another clip 105 and, from the bottom of gear 31, inserts the hooped portion of clip 105 through one of the holes in the gear drive wheel 31 so that the hooped portion of clip 105 sticks out above the flat portion of the gear drive wheel 31 as shown in FIG. 15. One then takes a spring 110 of suitable tension, attaches one end of spring 110 to the hooped portion of clip 105 that is protruding through the hole 106 in clip 100 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. One then attaches the other end of the spring 110 to the hoop of clip 105 extending though the hole in gear wheel 31 as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. By pulling on this completed assembly, one creates tension. The hooked portion of upper clip 100 is then inserted through the grid of the wire mesh that is the main component of tube 70 as shown in FIG. 15. This process is then repeated, strategically locating typically two or three more spring-loaded connectors in intervals sufficient to provide for stability. In this manner, tube 70 is attached to gear wheel 31.

[0050] After this is done, one simply pours the green coffee beans onto the tube 70, using the other gear drive wheel 30 to close everything off. One may also repeat the entire clip installation process to secure gear drive wheel 30 to the tube 70.

[0051] To remove the roasted beans, one merely needs to release the hooked portion of top clip 100 from the side wall of the tube 70, then remove the gear drive wheel 30 and pour the roasted beans out, all the time leaving in place the clips/fasteners holding the tube 70 to the other gear drive wheel 31. One reasonably skilled in the art will note that this embodiment of the invention may be used with a gear-driven rotisserie assembly having only one rod connecting the gear wheels.

[0052] A Fourth Embodiment of the Coffee Roaster Attachment

[0053] The final embodiment of the invention that will be discussed is adapted for use with rotisseries that do not have the large gear and dual rod rotisserie assembly 26 but instead have a single rotisserie rod adapted to fit into an existing receiver within an oven or over a gas, electric or charcoal grill. One example of such a rotisserie with the invention installed is shown in FIG. 16.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 16, 17, and 18, this embodiment of the invention consists of a wire mesh tube 70 with end caps 200. Integral with each end cap 200 is a stub axle 202. The length of tube 70 and stub axles 202 may be preselected to adapt to the dimensions of existing rotisseries. In addition, the cross sectional shape of stub axle 202 may be preselected to conform to the requirements of existing rotisseries. End caps 200 may be secured to tube 70 through a pressure fit, wire and spring tension clips such as those illustrated above or by any other means known in the art.

[0055] A Heat Shield Attachment

[0056] One additional item that can be used to facilitate a quicker roasting time is a heat shield that is specifically designed for use with the Ronco or similar home appliance rotisserie oven. The heat shield will capture and reflect the heat radiating from the electrical heating elements 20, creating a second enclosure within the enclosed oven unit. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, one preferred embodiment of the shield 125 is made of a heat-resistant material, such as stainless steel that has a glass window 130 for viewing the coffee beans during the roasting process. Heat shield 125 is advantageously simple to install. After the assembled roaster has been placed in the Ronco unit (see FIG. 20), one places the legs 135 and 136 of the heat shield through the slots in the greasepan 140 provided by Ronco with another leg 145 bent at a 90° angle, providing stability. The specially designed heat shield can reduce the roasting time by as much as 45-50%.

[0057] After extensive testing of the coffee roaster appliance constructed in accordance with this invention, it has been determined that up to two pounds of green coffee beans can be roasted at any one time, with exceptional results. Depending upon roast time, quantity, etc., the beans can be roasted from a light to very dark roast, in a consistent fashion. It is further worth noting that the coffee roaster of this invention is the first economical means for the home roaster to be able to roast a quantity of green coffee beans as large as two pounds.

[0058] A particular feature of the preferred embodiments of the invention is that it has no screws, nuts or bolts. As a result, there is no need for any tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, etc., to install or remove the adapter from the oven, which makes installation, as well as removal, a snap.

[0059] Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and exemplified with respect thereto, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications, changes, omissions and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that the present invention be limited solely by the scope of the following claims: 

What is claimed is:
 1. A coffee roaster attachment for a conventional home appliance rotisserie oven having a gear-driven rotisserie assembly and a rotisserie driving mechanism comprising: a cylindrical shell for holding coffee beans; means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly to prevent the coffee beans from spilling out said end of said shell; the other end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly covering the opposite end of said cylindrical shell; and said shell being adapted for rotation by said rotisserie driving mechanism built into said home appliance rotisserie oven.
 2. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 3. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 wherein said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a first gear wheel, a second gear wheel, and at least one rod adapted to connect said first gear wheel to said second gear wheel; wherein said means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises: at least one support connected to said shell and adapted to receive said at least one rod whereby rotation of said at least one rod will cause rotation of said shell; and means for securing said at least one support to said at least one rod to prevent movement of said at least one support with respect to said at least one rod.
 4. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 3 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 5. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 wherein said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a first gear wheel, a second gear wheel and at least two rods adapted to connect said first gear wheel with said second gear wheel; wherein said means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear driven rotisserie assembly comprises: at least one support connected to said shell and adapted to receive said at least two rods whereby rotation of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly causes rotation of said shell; and means for securing said at least one support to said at least two rods to prevent movement of said at least one support with respect to said at least two rods.
 6. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 5 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 7. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 5 wherein said means for securing said at least one support to said at least two rods to prevent movement of said support with respect to said at least two rods comprises at least one spring adapted to be stretched between said at least two rods.
 8. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 7 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 9. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 wherein said means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a plurality of clips adapted to facilitate the attachment of said shell to said gear-driven rotisserie assembly.
 10. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 9 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell
 11. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 9 wherein said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a first gear wheel, a second gear wheel, and at least two rods adapted to connect said first gear wheel to said second gear wheel; wherein at least one of said clips is adapted to receive both said shell and one of said at least two rods.
 12. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 11 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 13. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 11 wherein at least one of said clips is adapted to receive both said shell and one of said at least two rods and is further adapted to prevent movement of said clip with respect to said rod.
 14. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 13 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 15. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 wherein said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a first gear wheel, a second gear wheel, and at least one rod adapted to connect said first gear wheel to said second gear wheel; wherein said means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a plurality of spring-loaded connectors wherein at least one of said spring-loaded connectors is adapted to connect said shell to said first gear wheel.
 16. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 15 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 17. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 1 wherein said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a first gear wheel, a second gear wheel, and at least two rods adapted to connect said first gear wheel to said second gear wheel; wherein said means for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprises a plurality of spring-loaded connectors wherein at least one of said spring-loaded connectors is adapted to connect said shell to said first gear wheel.
 18. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 17 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell.
 19. A coffee roaster attachment for a conventional home appliance rotisserie oven having a gear-driven rotisserie assembly comprising: a cylindrical shell for holding the green coffee beans to be roasted; retainers, not including screws, nuts, or bolts, for holding one end of said shell to one end of said gear drive rotisserie assembly to prevent the beans from spilling out said end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly; the other end of said gear-driven rotisserie assembly covering the opposite end of said cylindrical shell; and said shell being adapted for rotation by the rotisserie mechanism built into said home appliance oven.
 20. The coffee roaster attachment of claim 19 further comprising a heat reflector adapted to be positioned to reflect heat towards said shell. 